


SkyClan's Birth

by skycan (zeroshee)



Series: SkyClan [1]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Everything is Different, Gen, see authors note in alligiances for more information, this is a from the ground up rewrite
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-13
Updated: 2017-06-20
Packaged: 2018-10-31 05:39:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10892832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zeroshee/pseuds/skycan
Summary: An ambitious feral molly learns about the concept of the clans from an adventurous loner, and decides to take on the challenge of creating her own clan. | A mirror for the work done by myself, skycancats on tumblr.





	1. Allegiances

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! Deux from skycancats on tumblr at your service. I figured I would organise the chapters somewhere where they would be easier to read as well as on tumblr.
> 
> New to this? Check out my friend warriorsredux on tumblr. 
> 
> This is a reimagining of how SkyClan could work within their canon. I take no profit from this and this is merely a project for fun.

> _To be amended to as time goes on._

* * *

**Sky** | Longhair gray and white patched molly. Yellow eyes. Strong, muscled legs from living in the gorge her whole life. **  
**

**Mottle** | Calico queen with two kittens. Yellow eyes.

 **Apple** | Calico molly, belongs to Mottle.

 **Beetle** | Brown and white tabby tom, belongs to Mottle.

 **Filbert** | Classic grey tabby house cat tom.

 **Pudge** | Grey tabby tom with a round face.

 **Fig** | Scrappy brown tabby tom. Jumpy.

 **Rambo** | Brown and white tabby tom. Previously a house cat. Has extra toes on both forepaws.

 **Duck** | Brown tabby housecat. Molly.

 **Muck |** Ratty old tom with brown fur and faint tabby stripes, green eyes.

 **Snowflake |**  Sleek white molly, previously a housecat, yellow eyes.


	2. Chapter One

As dawn began to slowly show its face over the trees, Sky leapt into her small den, though she wasn’t sure if she would be finding much sleep for a little while. Although she allowed herself to lay down, she could hardly contain the excitement that coursed underneath her fur, and she kneaded the ground, her mind working wildly.

She couldn’t stop thinking about the concepts placed into her head by the old cat she’d met earlier. Poor thing looked to be skin and bones, but he was remarkably hardy, and had shared knowledge with her over a couple mice. She found herself somewhat empowered by the ideas.

According to him, he’d travelled from rather far off, and had come across an odd group of cat colonies on his journey, cats who called themselves clans. They were large groups that all provided for each other, and lived in conjunction with a few other colonies. It was something Sky had never even _heard_ of before, and she was sure her eyes had been wide with wonder as he continued.

The clans, headed by a strong leader and their second in command, supported cats from kithood into their elder years, and worked to make sure everyone was doing or had done a part for their group. Sky couldn’t help but begin to imagine herself as one of those majestic leaders, and went to great lengths to make herself look a lot less like an overstimulated kitten. The tom had probably picked up on that, as he’d looked amused before he had continued.

The clans also apparently had some sort of dedicated role that was different from leaders or the regular cats, but the old tom couldn’t seem to recall the name, or even what the role was for in the first place, but Sky didn’t mind. She could figure that one out, though any sort of explanation escaped her for the moment.

The regular cats were called _warriors,_ according to him, and Sky thought that title sounded so wonderfully majestic. It was their job to train young cats into maturity by teaching them how to fight and hunt. There was also mention of some set of rules, but when Sky asked, the tom couldn’t tell her any, which came off as disappointing, but she was sure they had to be common sense.

Sky must have spent a good quarter of the night hounding the tom for more information on the clans, and eventually, he’d seemed to have gotten agitated with her prodding, claiming he didn’t recall anything more. He left her alone, but Sky already felt like she had a good enough basis here. It would take work and dedication, but surely, she could do it.

After all, it made sense, didn’t it? A colony of cats that took care of each other and protected the weak. It seemed like a fantastic idea, and Sky knew countless stray cats that hung around the area. However, she found herself mildly dismayed, remembering that as the old tom had left, she had asked him about joining a clan, and all he had done was give her a disbelieving snort. Something about that had put her off a little bit, though maybe it was just because he was old, maybe firm in his ways. She wasn’t going to let anything discourage her over this, it had to be a great idea.

The caves around the gorge seemed like a good place to start. There were many, some big, some small, at varying heights against the rock wall. There were certainly enough to hold a group, and it was a relatively safe place. Sky had never run into trouble with them, and most of the time, they were comfortable and dry. It was difficult for humans to get at them, and she was certain nothing dangerous had ever stopped by to take up residence – considering she had lived here her whole life.

Sky could already think of a couple cats she was acquainted with that might take a shine to the idea, or at least see more benefit to it. She knew of at least once nursing queen, and while that was a bit of an easy target, admittedly, she found it to be a good start. Kittens would be important to a growing clan, wouldn’t they? At least, as long as she could get it up and running. Sky didn’t know a single thing about being a teacher, or really, anything beyond what she had just been told, which in reality, should be a little disheartening, but it only fueled her more. If she could manage to fill in the holes in her knowledge, perhaps she could make a _better_ sort of clan. It was easy to assume that they were pretty well put together, but would a single clan fare better than ones living in conjunction?

At the least, she felt it was likely to avoid conflict while living in such a group. She supposed there was the chance of internal conflict, but if she was leader, could she banish dissenters? Perhaps after a chance to hear them out. Critique would give her a chance to improve. She was already second guessing how she would make things work. A lot of cats weren’t used to living closely around here, but she could see more of the cats with logical heads at least wanting to _try_ the idea. Sky certainly thought it made plenty of sense.

She realized now that she was probably getting _too_ ahead of herself by this point, and forced herself to slow down, taking a deep breath. First things first, after getting rest, she would need to bounce the idea off of others – cats she knew more personally than an old tom. She had a housecat friend that might be of some help – he was intelligent, and she would value his opinion. After that, she would seek out the queen she knew of. She had no idea where she might have her den at, but she had a few guesses. The most she could do was try, she thought. Trying was what mattered, and if she was diligent, she very well might get somewhere with it.

With that in mind, and her excitement having dulled to a low buzz, she let herself curl up, closing her eyes, sure that her dreams would be full of visions of clans and warriors.


	3. Chapter Two

As the evening came around, Sky felt it wise to check out the other caves up the side of the gorge before going on to any other clan-building activities.

She had scoped them out a few times before, but her main concern had been the one she used to sleep in. The other ones, she came to find, were similar. They varied in size from far too small to be comfortable (in one of them, Sky nearly fell off the ledge because there’d been no room to turn inside and she had had to back out) or big enough to house a few cats at one time. Overall, she would hazard a guess that there was plenty of room up the rock face to house enough cats for a clan (though she was still unsure exactly how big a clan _should_ be).

She scraped out some debris from one of the caves, pawing dead flora onto the floor of the gorge. Making dens here shouldn’t even be that hard, come to think of it. She did pretty well with it, and it didn’t take a lot to make them comfortable.

Feeling pretty accomplished with that much, she made her way to the top of the gorge, starting to think of cats she knew that might show some investment in the idea. Her first thought was a house cat that she considered herself very close friends with. At the least, if he wasn’t completely on board, he would have some level of pragmatism to give to the idea. She could hope for support from him, and she hoped that she could get _somewhere_ with this endeavour.

Padding over to the human town, she hopped up on his fence, swaying for a moment on the flimsy structure before hopping down into the yard. She didn’t understand why the humans seemed so intent on keeping their grass neat and cropped short – her paw pads were thick, but it still felt more uncomfortable than the stone of the gorge. She padded over it to the patio, where she saw Filbert underneath one of the chairs, sitting with his paws tucked underneath him.

He blinked slowly at her, and she didn’t even bother to join him in sitting, finding her excitement had ramped up again. She was sure she wouldn’t be able to stay sitting down if she tried. “I have an idea,” she prompted.

“Do you,” he asked, though his tone didn’t much convey a question. Sky was, unfortunately, well known for having out-of-the-way ideas, and Filbert was the first cat she tended to pitch them too. He had heard hundreds of ideas over the moons she’d known him, if she had to guess. She didn’t feel a bit sorry for it, because at least he kept her away from the very poor ones.

“Have you heard of clans?” she asked.

Filbert actually looked mildly interested at this, and cocked his head to the side a little bit. “I haven’t,” he said, his tone suggesting that she go on.

Sky wasted no time in filling him in on the idea of clans, and how she wanted to build one of her own in the gorge. She couldn’t stand still, and ended up pacing in front of him. While he paid rapt attention to her, she pretended not to notice the doubt worming its way into his body language.

When she felt she was done (and she had probably talked a tad too long), she watched him expectantly, and he seemed to take several moments to mull over how he should respond to her, which wasn’t the most promising sight.

Finally, he sighed. “Sky, I’ll admit it’s a real interesting idea, but I just don’t know if you’re going to be able to get other cats in on it.”

Sky looked crestfallen.

Filbert continued. “I’m not discouraging you from trying, you know. I just don’t know if a lot of cats will be in for the idea.”

She flicked her tail, and asked, “Do you want to join?”

“Not really,” the housecat replied, frowning faintly. “But talk to other cats, I suppose. It’s not _that_ bad of an idea, but cats here have been living alone for an awful long time.”

“I’ll see what I can find,” Sky replied brusquely, slightly tense that Filbert reacted so pessimistically. That was fine, of course, but she’d been hoping for a little more support. Filbert looked dubious, but Sky turned, waving her tail in a dismissive sort of goodbye before she returned to jump back over the fence. She heard a mutter from his general direction that she guessed was his own goodbye, but ignored it for now.

Her next idea was a little more promising. Another acquaintance of hers was a nursing queen, and Sky would guess she hadn’t seen her for about a half moon. It took a little while to find her, but she doubted Mottle would move far with her kits, and eventually found the molly sheltered in between a bush and a disused human shed.

Sky had brought her a mouse as a peace offering, and Mottle looked quite thankful for it. Sky’s gaze wandered to see the two kittens settled at the queen’s belly. Mottle looked well-off, but Sky would guess that she’d chosen to stick next to an abandoned shed for a reason. Sky could practically taste mice in the air, and worried a little about Mottle agreeing to come with.

“I’ve a proposition,” she said, as Mottle finished up the mouse.

“Oh?” Mottle asked, already sounding far more interested than Filbert had, which only served to fuel Sky even more.

“Do you want help with your kittens?”

Mottle narrowed her eyes. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“What do you think about joining up with some other cats? You know, working together to keep ourselves and kittens fed?” She was presenting it a little more awkwardly than she liked, but despite the poor wording, Mottle looked a little more interested at that.

“I’m not doing a bad job on my own, but it sounds… promising. What made you think of that?” she asked, moving to gently nudge one of her kittens with her back paw. It had started towards Sky a little, and Mottle seemed a little more intent on keeping them close.

Sky watched for a moment, before she launched into an explanation of her meeting with the other lone cat. Unlike Filbert, as she continued, Mottle seemed to grow a little more interested, and Sky felt triumphant. She didn’t see why cats _wouldn’t_ want to take advantage of something like that. It benefitted everyone. Maybe it just didn’t appeal to a housecat since they got everything they needed from their humans. Sky was glad someone saw sense in this idea.

“It sounds good,” Mottle said, shifting so she could draw her tongue across the back of one of her kittens. Sky noted with amusement that it looked just like her. “I could move to your gorge soon, if you’re willing to help.”

Sky nodded. Tonight wasn’t the best time, she figured she would give it a bit, find a good cave and make it comfortable. She would have to be careful, she didn’t want any chance of the kittens leaving and accidentally falling to the gorge floor, but too close to the ground might be unsafe. She’d have to do some digging. “Soon,” she replied. “Let me clear out a den for you.”

Mottle agreed, and Sky told her she would come back when she was ready for her. She felt pretty accomplished, she had to say, having convinced at least one cat about this new lifestyle. She even seemed excited about the prospect, which was more than Sky had even expected.

After a brief, continued conversation, Sky decided to dismiss herself, seeing that the young queen seemed tired, and the moon had made its own way decently far across the sky. The gorge cat felt like it would be a pretty good time to mosey her way home, feeling accomplished and rather self-satisfied.


	4. Chapter Three

By the time the next half-moon came around, Sky had moved Mottle and her two kits into a den at the gorge. It was near to the base, close enough that any wandering kittens wouldn’t end up hurt if they managed to get out of the den, and provided easy access to higher areas in the case of an emergency. Sky rarely saw the gorge flood, but even once was enough to know to be wary.

Unfortunately, beyond Mottle’s promising words, Sky had yet to meet other cats interested in her idea of a clan.

As night fell, Sky came to the top of the gorge, surprised, as she did, to find that Filbert was approaching. She greeted him with a bit of a stiff wave of her tail, reminding herself how irked she had been when he had brushed off her idea.

“Any luck?” he asked, peering down into the gorge as he came closer.

“Careful,” Sky said. “I’ve a queen and her kittens down there.”

Filbert was wise enough to keep his distance. “Is that all?”

“Yes,” she said, and her tail tip twitched, finding his tone to be reminiscent of an ‘I-told-you-so’ attitude, and not appreciating it.

“You’re taking care of them?”

“I am.”

Filbert gave her a tired look. “Don’t you think it’s a little bit foolish to promise to take care of several cats like this?” Sky set her ears back, but he continued regardless. “You need to take care of yourself, too, and if this doesn’t work out, you’re still stuck with your promise.”

Sky didn’t add that she _could_ break the promise, though it wasn’t like she would. Filbert knew that, too, she was sure. “I can take care of them, too. Hunting’s fine around here.”

“What about when winter comes around?”

It was Sky’s turn to look a bit tired. “What about when you shut it?”

Filbert looked offended. “Fine, then,” he said, huffing. “I still think it’s a fool’s errand, but if you’d like to keep it up, it doesn’t have to be my business.”

He left too quickly for her to give him another snippy comment.

For a moment, she considered going back to her den, but she realised she had gotten up to go catch some food for mottle. For a moment, she _did_ let herself worry about Filbert’s words, knowing full well he was talking sense when it came down to winter. Hunting would be harder then, and by that time, Mottle’s kits would be only just ready to learn, she was sure. However, she decided worrying over his words was silly. She knew what she was doing, and she was sure it wouldn’t be just her for too long.

She left, making her way into the trees close by, figuring she could easily find something for both herself and Mottle. She managed to catch a mouse as the moon came to sit high in the air, but was too frustrated to focus properly on hunting anything else.

On the way back, holding the mouse in her jaws, she caught sight of a patch of grey fur, and pausing, she went towards it, figuring it didn’t hurt to take a short detour on the way back.

Unsurprisingly, it was another stray cat she knew. “Pudge,” she said, warmly, in a way of greeting.

Pudge seemed somewhat pleased to see her. “Sky,” he replied. “I’ve been wondering about you. Heard you got a group idea going.”

“Something like that,” Sky said, amused. “Are you interested?”

“Maybe,” he said, and she noted him eyeing her mouse with interest. Pudge had been left behind by his owners a while back. While he still retained some of what he had been named for, it’s clear he wasn’t too cut out for the life of a stray. Clan life might suit him – get him more fit and help him learn to provide for himself. He didn’t do much of a good job now, too enamored with his more comfy life as a housecat, clearly.

“Let me know,” Sky said, not keen on sharing with him right about now. She had a hungry queen to get back to.

Pudge mumbled acknowledgement, and made his way off, while Sky continued on her way back to the gorge, figuring that was as promising as anything could be. It was the first ‘maybe’ she had gotten, and that was surely better than an outright ‘no’.

As Sky entered the queen’s den, she found herself in a bit of a better mood. She liked Mottle and her kittens, and was grateful to Mottle for being the first to show a more invested interest in the idea.

After brief greetings, Sky figured she should cut to the chase. “Do you know anyone else?” she asked. “Anyone that might be interested in this idea?”

Mottle eyed her for a few moments, but after thinking, she seemed to have an idea. “I know a few strays that might take a shine, but no promises. They take den not too far from that shed I was at.”

Sky figured if she left early, she could get there and back in no time, perhaps with a few new clanmates. Sure, that was the best possible scenario, but it was pleasant to think about it that way. “Thank you, Mottle.”

Mottle nodded. “Keep in mind that not a lot of cats are going to be suited to this life,” she said. “I think it’s a fine idea, but not everyone’s going to think so.”

Sky wondered if she had overheard the conversation with Filbert earlier, but she tried not to think about it, and nodded in understanding instead.

“Sleep on it,” Mottle said, resting her head on her paws for now.

Another nod, and Sky bade her farewell for now, trying not to feel downtrodden. Mottle had presented it in a kinder way, but it still didn’t mean that Sky was happy about it. At least Mottle liked the idea enough to stick around.

Feeling hungry, and hoping that tomorrow showed promise, Sky slipped into her own den, curling up at the back.


	5. Chapter Four

The next evening greeted Sky with a feeling of warm optimism.

The weather seemed to agree with her, as it was a clear night, the full moon just beginning its journey across the sky. It was warm, but she could feel a faint breeze ruffling her coat.

Everything felt comfortable. Sky knew what her plan was for the night, and she felt like she would be able to get it done.

She visited briefly with Mottle, wanting to check in and make sure she knew where she should be going, before leaving, throwing behind her that she would bring prey back. She heard the queen wish her good luck over the soft mews of her kittens.

There was the mild chance she wouldn’t find the cats that Mottle had told her about tonight. The queen had told her that a few had hung around some old stump a ways away from the shed she had sheltered by. Sky went that way first, sure that she would be able to find her way from there.

She was almost there – she could smell the strong prey-scent that the shed seemed to seep with before she was blindsided, tackled by a dark mass of fur. She hissed and spat, rolling to try to get the advantage on the other cat. The tom was smaller than she was, felt scrawny, but it seemed to work to his advantage, and she felt teeth on her ear.

A yowl rose in her throat, trying hard to shake him off, before she felt something else seem to join the fray, but this one didn’t seem so intent on fighting. She felt the other cat pulled off from her, and she leapt back, fur rising along her spine, back arching in a threatening manner.

Now that she had the chance to visually observe the situation, her eyes flickered over the two cats. Both were toms – the one that had attacked her was scrawny and brown, his fur seeming very messy, though that could have been the fight. The other tom was also brown, but with white over his paws, chest, and muzzle, and was a little bit larger than she was.

Sky looked warily between the two, her fur still on end. “What was that for?” she asked, her tone a little bit accusatory. Her eyes were on the smaller tom as she spoke, but she glanced cautiously at the other.

“Relax,” said the larger tom, though his gaze seemed focused on the cat beside him rather than her, considering he was still eyeing her with a hint of malice. The other seemed mildly annoyed with the one that had attacked her, but as his gaze turned over to her, his irritation faded. “Sorry about that,” he said briskly. The other tom didn’t look very sorry.

Sky took a moment, trying to gauge whether or not it would be a good idea to let her guard down, but the body language of the larger tom suggested that he was comfortable and has no intent of attacking. She felt like she could take the other one now that she would have a good warning, and decided to stand down, but be wary.

She looked them over curiously, and found herself guessing that these might be the cats that Mottle had spoken of. “It’s fine,” she said, feeling herself relax a little, though she kept her eyes cautiously on the tom who had attacked her. Her ear still stung.

“I’m Rambo,” the bigger tom said. He said, and licked a paw, drawing it over his ear. She noted for the first time that his paws looked a little funny, but she couldn’t place it, and ignored it for now. “This” – he flicked the other tom with his tail – “is Fig.” Fig showed his teeth.

“Sky,” she said, ignoring Fig. “Say, do you know Mottle?”

“Rambo does,” Fig said, his tone having some mild mocking edge to it that Sky could only guess was some sort of inside joke.

“We do,” Rambo said, ignoring him. “Why?”

“She told me to look for you,” Sky said, letting herself sit down now, though she still kept a good portion of her senses on Fig, not sure if he wouldn’t attempt to tackle her again. “Said you might be interested in my idea.”

“Idea?” Rambo looked interested, and Fig’s ears even pricked.

Admittedly, Sky was starting to tire of explaining the clan deal so much, but it was necessary. If she wanted cats to join her group, it had to be. It didn’t take long to get the concept across, though, and Rambo certainly looked interested. Fig looked dubious.

“I like that,” Rambo said. “I think I’ll come check things out.” Sky was pleased.

“I’ll think it over,” Fig said. It wasn’t the most comforting answer, but it was far from a no, so there was no reason for her to complain.

She bid the toms goodbye, having done what she set out to do, and continued onward. She spent a short amount of time hunting, managing to capture a couple of mice, before she made her way back.

For a moment, she considered going back to Filbert, but she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of constant updates. He was already doubtful in her. Perhaps when she had a little bit more confidence, like if Rambo and Fig actually showed up. That would be a lot more promising than words themselves.

Walking back along the fences, she realised she was being tailed, and looked up and behind her. A small brown molly was following her from the fence. She crouched as soon as Sky turned, as if she thought it was hiding her, but Sky waved her tail in greeting. From the look and smell, the stranger was a housecat, and Sky felt she had nothing to fear.

“I heard you talking to those toms,” she said. This surprised Sky, because she actually hadn’t noticed the molly then, and seeing as she was here now, she must have been after Sky for a while. She was almost a little impressed.

“Did you?”

“I, uh, really like your idea,” said the molly, looking sheepish. “My name’s Duck.”

Sky was interested now, and she eyed Duck with it. “Do you want to join?”

“My people only let me out at night,” Duck said. “So I don’t know if I _can_.”

Sky frowned, but mulled it over. She would love to have more cats joining her little makeshift group, housecats or ferals. She couldn’t see a reason to complain. A small idea sparked in her mind, and she thought she might have something to consider, but she would need time for it. “Meet me at the gorge in a few nights’ time, okay? I might have a place for you.”

Duck looked delighted at the idea, and agreed. Sky watched her go after another goodbye, waiting until she was out of sight before she made her way back to the gorge, eager to deliver news to Mottle, as well as share this new idea.


	6. Chapter Five

Sky let the tip of her tail drag across the ground, her ears swiveling to listen to the sound of Mottle’s kits chasing it, though her bright gaze was fixed on the queen.

Mottle, however, was looking at her kits, though Sky could tell she was thinking.

After talking to Duck, the house cat that had been following her, Sky had wondered about the potential of having some sort of part time system involved in her clan. After all, some cats might want a taste of the feral life, or to learn how to survive in the wild, but not yet be ready to give up the warmth of their homes. She had shared the thought with Mottle, thinking it could be a wise way to get more cats involved, perhaps even to get them to stick around for good.

Finally, the queen spoke, though her eyes didn’t lift to Sky. “It’s something you could try,” she said. “But don’t keep getting your hopes up. You’re getting a little far ahead of yourself. You should wait and see how much this appeals first.”

Sky was a little indignant; out of everyone, she had expected Mottle to be most receptive to her ideas. However, she didn’t let herself get angry, instead ignoring the pragmatism she was faced with. “Those rogues you told me about seemed interested.” She left out the part where she had been attacked by one, and that one hadn’t seemed too invested.

“This has potential,” Mottle said. “But if you put too much into it and it falls through, you can’t get upset.”

Sky’s whiskers twitched, but she had to concede that Mottle had a point. Not out loud, of course, but she could see why the queen warned her to lower her expectations a little. She’d stopped swishing her tail for a moment, and then gave a startled sound as she felt tiny kitten claws on her skin.

“ _Beetle!_ ” The kitten who had Sky’s tail stopped, and rolled away from it, clearly deterred by the sound of anger from his mother. He apparently decided his sister (a perfect miniature of Mottle herself) was a better target, and he bowled her over. Mottle looked at them both for a moment, but seemed to decide their play was a little harmless for now.

Sky found herself watching with interest, her eyes fixed on the way they played together. Would they make good warriors when they grew up? What sort of cats would they be like that? She didn’t really know what sort of skills would be valuable here, but she knew that she would be happy to train up those two.

Mottle seemed to notice her interest, and amused, said, “They’re not old enough yet.”

“I know.” Sky still didn’t look away, though, caught in her daydream. She watched the little tabby tom pin his sister down. The latter gave a little wail of defeat, falling playfully limp under his tiny paws. They definitely had a lot of growing to do, and Sky was glad that it was still a good, plentiful season for now. Hunting for a queen would be much harder in the winter.

Despite that, she couldn’t help but think of the day when she would be leader, looking down on her cats proudly, knowing that she was responsible for them all.

“If you’re going to dream, go back to your own den,” Mottle said, though she didn’t appear frustrated, watching Sky with something akin to amusement.

Sky gave her a mock offended look, but she got up, figuring that it was about time to get her rest.

“Sky,” Mottle said, and she looked back again. “Don’t give up your optimism. I want you to succeed. Just don’t get carried away.”

Sky softened, feeling a little more at ease with those words, and she nodded. She bid a quiet farewell to the queen, and then left, hopping up a few ledges, closer to her den. She looked up towards the sky, watching some of the stars wink out with the rising sun. She had to do this, and she only felt more driven with each conversation about the future of her idea. She let her gaze linger on the sky for a few moments longer, before she hopped back up to her den, her resolve only having hardened.


	7. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the large pause in between updates. Ideally, the next chapter should come much sooner.

After the passing of a couple of nights, Sky might have begun to worry that she may not see the two toms she had encountered. To her pleasure, though, as she woke up for the evening and exited her den, she could see two shapes approaching the gorge, one fit and muscular, and the other small and ratty.

She waved her tail in greeting at Rambo and Fig, waiting for them to meet her before she led them down. Rambo steps down the rocks with ease, following fairly close behind Sky, while Fig seemed to fumble, lagging behind and catching on the rocks. Sky could occasionally hear the awful noise of his claws scraping stone.

Likely roused by the noise or smell of newcomers, Sky saw Mottle’s dappled coat appearing out from her den. Her kits were with her, and Sky slowed a little, approaching more cautiously – more for the toms’ benefit than her own. She was quite excited to show the two toms around a little. She’d spent the last few nights starting to clear out some of the larger caves in the gorge, attempting to make it a little more fit for a group. It was nothing particularly impressive, but Sky was proud of it thus far.

Sky was briefly startled by the feeling of a warm pelt brushing against her side, and she realised that Rambo had pushed past her down to the bottom of the gorge, and she paused to watch him with interest (as well as give the staggering Fig a chance to catch up). She reached the bottom as Rambo padded up to Mottle, and for a second, she was ready to give a warning, but to her surprise, Mottle seemed lax. Her kittens remained behind her, though, and Sky could see the quiet threat that he wasn’t to pass her.

She couldn’t hear what either of them were saying from here, and she decided not to get close enough to intrude and eavesdrop, but she did note for the first time that Mottle’s tom kitten, Beetle, looked to be a miniature of Rambo. She figured this must be the reason Mottle had known he would be interested, but Sky decided that it was also none of her business, and as she took a step closer, Rambo turned his attention back to her. He still held his confident, proud air, and Sky honestly found it interesting. She looked at him expectantly, and he finally addressed her again.

“Where will we be sleeping?” he asked, gesturing with his tail towards the gorge wall. Sky heard a sound from behind her at the word ‘we’, but there was no other protest from Fig.

“Here, climb up after me,” she said, moving towards the rock and making her way up a relatively easy path, into a larger cave. It dipped down at the entrance, leading into a somewhat short, wide cave. It was still tall enough to stand in, though at Rambo’s full height, his ears nearly brushed the ceiling.

She turned to them both, regarding them with mild concern. “I’ve still got to clear out some other caves, but until then, I thought this might work for a den. I’m sure it’s not perfect, but it’s a start.” Not for the first time, she was feeling a little insecure, and her eyes flickered from Rambo to Fig.

“It’s a bit short,” said Fig, though Sky suspected he just wanted something to complain about, especially since she could see Rambo nodding in an approving manner.

“I like this for now. I can help you with some of the other ones.” He was now padding around the cave, apparently looking for a place to sleep. Sky was overjoyed.

“So the two of you are staying?” she asked.

“I am,” Rambo said, and his eyes turned to Fig, expression clearly expectant.

Fig seemed intimidated, being coerced into an answer, but to Sky’s surprise and pleasure, he made a noise of agreement, and she perked up considerably, looking pleased. “Perfect,” she said, a purr hiding in her tone. This was fantastic news, and a spiteful part of her couldn’t wait to rub it in Filbert’s face, sure that he would be surprised and ideally _impressed_ by her dedication, and the way she had managed to do this much in such a short time span.

She padded towards the exit again, able to feel the two toms behind her. “Do you want to look around some more?” she asked. “You’re free to explore some of the caves alone. Just be careful, they might be some sharp things in some.” She’d caught a few splinters in her paws thanks to some of the broken sticks scattered across the cave floors, but it was nothing she couldn’t dig out with some vigorous grooming.

“I’d like to go hunt,” Rambo said. “I’ll bring something back for Mottle.”

Sky found herself grateful, because she had been doing a lot of extra hunting to feed Mottle as well as herself, and excited, because his enthusiasm was fantastic to witness. “That would be wonderful,” she said, and after a moment, twisted her head to address both toms. “And welcome to the clan.”


End file.
